Fabric guide for blas cutters



April 7, 1931. E. D. PUTT 1,799,620

FABRIC GUIDE FOR BIAS CUTTERS Filed Nov. 11, 1926 A TTORNE Y.

Patented Apr. 7,: 1931 r" rates earner EDW'A-BD D. PUTT, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO FIREST ONI E {3ND RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHZO, A COREORATION OF OHIO i FABRIC GUI-DE roa Bras overruns Application filed November 11, 19a. Serial No l l7,692.

This invention relates to machines for cutting fabric on the bias and particularly to devices for guiding the fabric into proper fabric of which the tire casing is built, is the cutting of such fabric into bias bands. One machine which has been devised for this purpose is known as the vertical bias cutter.

The cutting knife thereof is pulled along an angularly mounted track, the cutting edge of saidknife passing through the fabric strip to be cut and is actuated in a direction laterally and upwardly. This motion of the knife tends to carry the fabric strip laterally so 2 that a wedge-shaped portion of the fabric is added to the band. This must later be trimmed off and in a days operation of the machine, amounts to a considerable quantity of waste. The purpose of this invention,

therefore, is to provide means for preventing this action of the fabric and the elimination of the waste caused thereby.

One object is to provide driven rollers to grip the fabric and prevent the same from 30 being carried laterally by the cutting knife.

Another object is to guide the fabric into the cutting mechanism and provide means for compensating for any lateral shifting which may occur in the cutting of the fabric.

The foregoing and other objects are obtained by the deyice illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific form thereof disclosed herein.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is front elevation of a bias cutter illustrating the location of a guide mechanism embodying the invention;

guide mechanism;

Figure 3 is a plan thereof viewed from below; and

Figure 4: is an end View thereof.

Referring more particularly to the draw- Figure 2 is a detail side elevation of the ings, 10 represents the frame of a known type i of vertical bias cutter. A diagonalsupport 11 attached to the frame is-provided witha track for guiding a cutting knife12'which;

isdrawn along bya cable 13" to cut abias strip or band from fabric 14. The fabric below the knife is clamped by a movable bar '15 mountedon support 11. Abovethe knife the fabric has'been heretofore unsupported except by the feed roller 16 over which it passes, which feed roller is attached to a shaft 17 ournaled onframe 10. The reciprocating knife 12, accordingly, has had a tendencyto shift fabric 14L laterally, making out and wasting material.

To obviate this faulty operationya pair of rollers 18 and 19 tightly engaging thefabric therebetween are provided to guide and grip the fabric. A base 20 for supporting said rollers is attached to frame 10" and. has mounted thereon a movable bracket 21 caran uneven ryingthe' rollers and adapted to'be swung I through a slight angle downwardly forbadjustably canting thesame. Rcllers'18 and 19 may thus rotate in a plane at a slight angle to the li'neof travel of the fabric in order'to draw the latter laterally and compensatefor the lateral shifting. ofthe fabric in the opposite direction to that caused'by the cutting-knife. 'Bracket 21 has journaled therein a shaft 22 to which roller 18 is at- .tached and has pivoted thereto a stud shaft 23 'uponwhich roller 19 is adapted to rotate. I

Roller 19 is .forcibly urged against'roller 18 by means of a spring 24 attached to shaft .23 and bracket 21, an dcan be swung back out ofthe :way when a new sheet of fabric is i being fed'into' the machine. Shaft '221nay' be rotated when swung into any degree of [angular adjustment, by means of a-universal joint 25attached to a shaft 26 journaled in a fixed bracket 27 projecting from b'ase'20. Shaft 26 has keyed thereon a sprocket 28 which is rotated means of chain 29 passing'over sprocket 3O keyed to shaft17.

In operation roller 18'Yis imparted an intermittent rotation by means of feed roller shaft 17 and with spring pressed roller 19 guides the fabric downwardly and, at the same time slightly laterally in" a direction r line.

opposite to the lateral shifting caused by the cutting knife. When the proper width of fabric has been fed past the knife support the feeding is stopped and bar 15 and the rollers grip the fabric respectively below and above the line of cutting as the knife passes through the fabric.

An efiective means is thus provided for properly guiding and gripping the fabric in a bias cutter, eliminating all Waste caused by the cutting knife pulling the fabric out of Modifications of the above described invention may be resorted to Without depart ing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination With a bias cutter having a fabric feed roller and a reciprocable fabric cutting knife, a guiding mechanism comprising a driven roller and a spring pressed roller adapted to grip the fabric to be cut tightly therebetween for guiding the 6. In fabric cutting apparatus of the kind described a cutter for said fabric tending to shift the same laterally during the cutting operation, and means to grip and guide the fabric during its advancing movement for frictionally deflecting the same in the opposite direction from that of the cutter on its cutting stroke.

EDWARD D. PUTI.

same, an angularly adjustable mounting for 7 said rollers adapted to cant the latter, Whereby the fabric may be drawn laterally, a uni versal joint for rotating said driven roller, and chain and sprocket driving means rotatably connecting the universal joint With the feed roller on said bias cutter. i

2. In combination With av bias cutter having areciprocable fabric cutting knife, rollers for'gripping and guiding the fabric in proper'alignment, means angularly adjusting said rollers for compensating for any lateral shifting of the fabric caused by the reciprocation of the knife tlierethrough, and means for rotating one of said rollers.

3. In fabric cutting apparatus of the kind described, a cutter operating upon said fabric diagonally thereof and tending to. draw the same in a lateral direction, a guiding mechanism comprising a driven roller and a spring-pressed roller adapted to grip the fabric tightly therebetWeen for guiding the same an angularly adjustable mounting for said rollers adapted to cant the latter, Whereby the fabric may be drawn laterally to compensate for the lateral drawing tendency of the cutter.

4. In a bias cutting machine, a reciprocable cutter adapted to pass transversely from one edge through ,a fabric Web fed through said'machine, and a roller cooperating With the 'WBb during its advancing movement to deflect the Web laterally to compensate for the deflection caused by the cutter.

5. In fabric cutting apparatus of the kind described, a cutter for said fabric tending to shift the same laterally during the cutting operation, rollers for gripping and guiding the fabric in proper alignment, means for angularly adjusting said rollers for compensating for any tendency toward lateralshifting of the fabric, and means for rotating one of said rollers. V 

